We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. We’ve heard you, and today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve increased the upload limit to 15 minutes.

We encourage you to take full advantage of this new time limit by making a video of your “15 minutes of fame.” Imagine that this video is all the world will ever know about you: what would you want to communicate? What will be the enduring stamp you’ve left on us all? Tag your video with “yt15minutes,” upload it by Wednesday, August 4, and we’ll select a handful of people to truly gain their 15 minutes of fame by featuring them on the YouTube homepage in a future spotlight.

In the meantime, you may wonder “why now?” -- the upload limit for non-partners has been 10 minutes for years. Well, we’ve spent significant resources on creating and improving our state-of-the-art Content ID system and many other powerful tools for copyright owners. Now, all of the major U.S. movie studios, music labels and over 1,000 other global partners use Content ID to manage their content on YouTube. Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today. We will continue our strong commitment to provide advanced technology and tools to protect the rights of small and large copyright owners worldwide. We’ll also do everything we can to release incremental improvements like this one that benefit our video creators.

One final note: if you’re uploading a video that was previously rejected for being too long, you’ll have to go into “My Videos” and delete it before attempting to upload it again. Thanks and happy uploading!

Get your eyeliner sharpened, your mascara pumped, your hair ready to be oh-so-carefully tussled -- today, we're launching our first-ever beauty program, "Destination Beauty," sponsored by L'Oréal Paris. The year-long initiative will feature a constantly refreshed selection of videos offering tips and tricks on looking your best from partners like Panacea81, KandeeJohnson and Seventeen Magazine, all of whom are authorities in this space. Take a peek at the videos below as examples of what you'll find on the channel.

Welcome back, life-long learners! We’re in our third week here at YouTube Summer School and today we’re shifting gears again. After our lovely stroll through the art gallery of YouTube EDU, we’re headed to the hall of mathematics and will be crunching numbers for the next week.

Ever have any trouble with algebra, geometry, calculus or trig-a-what? For some, putting numbers in their place isn’t as easy as Captain Picard makes it look. Sometimes we simply can’t “make it so” without a little help. That’s why we’ve scoured through YouTube EDU to find what professors from top universities around the globe are teaching about everything from differential equations to probalistic aggregation studies (try saying that 10 times fast!).

And to review what we covered last week, take a minute to test yourself with the following questions. If you know the answers, let us know in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). We’re on the lookout for our “Grade A” students!

1) What color house did Frida Kahlo grow up in? 2) Malaquias Montoya, professor of Chicano studies and art history at the University of California in Davis, is known for what item of unique clothing?3) The African art exhibit in the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum is from what century?

As you could probably guess, we're really excited about the imminent launch of Google TV. You can learn more about this initiative here, but it’s basically a new way to watch TV by seamlessly integrating the Web and TV into one incredible viewing experience. Soon, you’ll be able to watch a lot more of those beautiful hi-def YouTube videos on your beautiful, hi-def TV.

Google TV will initially be available on devices manufactured by Sony and Logitech in the fall, with more partners to be announced later. Logitech has just come up with a nifty idea to publicize their device, the Logitech Revue with Google TV™ -- a contest to find the 'Host with the Most' in one of three fabulous cities within the U.S.

Check out this site for more details of ‘Host with the Most,’ but the gist is simple: if you can prove that you are a true social influencer with a passion for the new universe of TV and video that Google TV will offer, Logitech may select you to become a Logitech host and pay you to spend time in one of their lofts in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Your mission will be to host a bunch of parties, show off the technology, and spread the word through your social circles. (See Logitech's OFFICIAL RULES for eligibility requirements and complete details.) Since nothing goes together better than YouTube and Google TV – and no group is more socially connected than the YouTube community – we thought we’d encourage you all to nominate yourselves for the role. We look forward to seeing what cool things the winning hosts will do with the Logitech loft experience – and maybe one of them will be you!

“Did you really kiss a girl?” “Do you ever laugh at the parody videos making fun of you?” “Are you and Russell planning on having kids?” The call was to ask Katy Perry anything you wanted, and you responded with a record-breaking 20,500 text and video questions submitted to Katy’s channel via the Moderator tool. Over 401,600 votes were cast, and YouTube’s own Lisa Nova posed the most popular questions to Perry, who was wearing a Latex getup only she could pull off:

On behalf of Ridley Scott, Kevin Macdonald, LG, the Sundance Film Festival and all of us at YouTube, thank you to everyone who took part in “Life in a Day.” Using the footage you shot, Kevin will now begin to build the world’s largest user-generated documentary, capturing what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.

Remember that even though filming day is over, you have until July 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST to upload your video to the Life in a Day channel. Be sure to subscribe as well, so you can receive directorial updates from the cutting room floor. If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, you'll be hearing from Life in a Day Films, so be on the lookout for an email.

We'll be in touch again in early January with more details on the film's premiere at Sundance.

What are you doing today? Something routine like cooking breakfast or taking the dog for a walk? Or is it something extraordinary like your child's first soccer game or your wedding day?

Whatever it is, big or small, we hope you’ll capture it on video and take part in "Life in a Day," a user-generated documentary that will tell the story of a single day on Earth, as seen through your eyes. You have until 11:59 p.m. local time to film something, so get going. For more information, visit the Life in a Day channel.

For artists, YouTube is a 21st century canvas. Since the YouTube Play project was announced last month, more than 6,000 videos ranging in genres, topics and budget have been submitted from 69 countries, and the YouTube Play channel has received over 2 million views.

Today, we’re unveiling the jury for YouTube Play, which includes some of the world’s leading artists, from international film festival winners and renowned photographers to performance and video artists on the cutting edge of art.

Over the course of the next few months, these jurors will watch countless hours of videos submitted by the international YouTube community and select the most creative and inspiring work to showcase at the Guggenheim museums in October.

Already, this campaign has drawn some remarkable talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of your submissions in our quest to find the most creative video art in the world and showcase it alongside van Gogh and Picasso. The deadline for getting your videos in is July 31. For more information about the jurors and to learn more about how to participate, check out youtube.com/play.

Hello, music lover, meet “Unstaged,” a new five-part concert series brought to you by YouTube, American Express and VEVO. Each performance will not only be streamed live on YouTube, but it will also have unique on- and offline components to entertain fans -- for example, you may be able to vote on the encore performance or switch camera angles. And if you miss anything, no worries: the full show and highlights will be available on the artist’s channel soon after the show.

Kicking off the series will be Arcade Fire, who will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 5. The concert will coincide with the release of Arcade Fire’s third album, The Suburbs, and will be broadcast live to the world on www.youtube.com/arcadefirevevo.

Other artists slated to be part of the “Unstaged” lineup include John Legend and the Roots. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks so keep an ear tuned right here for more details.

Though YouTube is a global site, it’s often local videos that are most relevant to your life. When people use camcorders and mobile phones to capture newsworthy events in their neighborhoods and upload them to YouTube, they’re broadening the window into our own communities. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area (where YouTube is based), we’ve seen several YouTube videos inform local news coverage, from the snapping of support cables on the Bay Bridge, to the shooting of Oscar Grant by an Oakland police officer, to fights breaking out on Muni, the local bus system.

Earlier this summer, we announced our CitizenTube News Feed, the first of two projects we're doing with the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Now, we’re participating in an experiment in citizen reporting right here in our own backyard. We’re joining forces with our local ABC station, ABC7 (KGO-TV), to launch the ABC7 uReport powered by YouTube. ABC7 will use YouTube Direct to collect news footage from people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Residents of the Bay Area are invited to document the news and events happening where they live, work and play, and to submit those videos via YouTube Direct to the producers at ABC7. The team at ABC7 will feature newsworthy videos on television (Channel 7 in the Bay Area), on their website (ureport.abc7news.com), and on their YouTube channel (youtube.com/abc7news).

Do you have a video camera and live in the Bay Area? You can participate in the project by submitting your news videos to ureport.abc7news.com, and be sure to follow along on Twitter (@abc7newsbayarea) and on Facebook (facebook.com/abc7news) for the latest news and updates.

If you want easier ways to discover music on YouTube, just start here. Our revamped music page - part of a redesign that started with our shows and movies pages - showcases the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and gives you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes. For example, in the mood for electronic beats? Just scroll down to that genre and click “play” for an instant playlist. Looking for the latest viral music sensation? Check “Today’s Hits”...

And if you want to find live music happening in your area, we will soon surface local music listings in "Events Near You."

So go ahead and give our new music browse page a try! The only hazards are: 1) singing along to your favorite song; 2) hipping your friends to something new; 3) getting stuck in a groovy mix; or 4) stepping out to catch a live performance in your own backyard.

Alright, alright...settle down, class. It’s time for another session of YouTube Summer School.

You’ll remember that the semester started last week with a deep-dive into physics; now we’re on to a loftier subject -- art! Our educational platform, YouTube EDU, brings world-class art lessons from esteemed professors right to your desktop. So whether you’re simply curious about drawing techniques and portraits, or looking to learn more about new forms of art, take a look at this playlist for a sampling of art videos on the site. Topics range from making comics to surveying Roman architecture:

We can’t promise you’ll be the next Bob Ross after watching these, but we can guarantee videos like this will be available anytime you’re in an artsy mood, and will continue to grow as our university partners add new content.

And just to review what was covered last time, take this pop quiz on some of the material covered in videos in our physics module. Please list your responses in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). At the end of the semester, we’ll crown some of our “Grade A” students.

1. According to Professor Walter H.G. Lewin at MIT, are you taller standing up or laying down?2. What is the name of University of Minnesota’s wide receiver that got hit with 10.78 Gs of force when he scored a touchdown against UC Berkeley?3. A vacuum uses the power of 8-10 horses. A plane taking off uses the power of 100,000 horses. On a typical day, the world uses how many “horses”?

This Saturday, don’t forget to charge those batteries, polish those lenses, and get your cameras ready to capture a glimpse of your life for "Life in a Day."

Two weeks ago, we announced this historic cinematic experiment to create the world's largest user-generated documentary, made possible by LG, produced and directed by renowned filmmakers Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald, and filmed by you. In the words of Ridley, it’s now time to "just do it."

If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

“YouTube Answers” is a series we began in April to introduce you to a variety of people who work here and give you the chance to ask us questions about a broad topic relevant to the site. Camille Hearst and Shenaz Zack bravely went first, to answer your questions about partnerships. Next, we recruited Brian Truong, Product Manager; Shalabh Chaturvedi, Software Engineer, and Victoria Grand, Head of Policy, to tackle your queries about our international sites and policies:

Big thanks to everyone who asked a question! We saw a three-fold increase in questions and votes this round.

Next up: head over to the YouTube channel where we’re using Moderator to collect questions on the topic of “Advertising on YouTube.” This is a good opportunity to ask about how advertising on YouTube works, what the different ad formats are, what advertisers are looking for, and ways you might be able to connect with them. We’ll be taking questions until Monday, July 26, and then we’ll be back as soon as possible afterward with two new staffers in the hot seat.

School’s out for summer, but around here we’re (nerd alert) still pretty excited about numbers, facts and learning in general. And it looks like we’re not alone. More than half a million people are now subscribed to YouTube EDU channels, and since October 2009 we’ve seen a 77% jump in channels and an 89% jump in videos on the educational platform.

While summer often provides a welcome respite for students, we know that some are looking for ways to keep their brains active over the break. If you want to keep those math formulas fresh and foreign languages top-of-mind, this could be the stuff that gives you a leg up on the non-YouTubers in your class come the fall. Since we want nothing more than to help you rule the world, we are creating playlists, by topic, of the videos you might want to watch to get ahead of the curve. Each week, we’ll post a new playlist to the blog and the YouTube channel. Think of it as a mini virtual summer school, but without the research papers and early-morning start times.

Next week, we’ll feature must-see videos about art. And throughout our little summer school, do let us know if or how EDU has made an impact on your life, whether in school or achieving your dreams overall. Please leave a comment below (but note: comments are moderated due to spam). We’d love to hear about your experiences in online education.

Following YouTube’s acquisition by Google in 2006, new YouTube signups were given the choice between two different account systems to power their YouTube experience: the original YouTube account system (built in 2005) or the Google Account system.

In May 2009, we started requiring all new YouTube usernames to be powered by Google Accounts.

Now, we’re gradually asking all remaining pre-May 2009 users still using the older YouTube account system to connect a Google Account to their YouTube username. For now, it’s an optional step, but eventually it’ll be required in order to continue using your YouTube username.

Before we go any further, we should clarify three important facts:

YouTube usernames themselves aren’t going anywhere. No matter when you signed up for YouTube, or if you’re currently associated with a Google Account, you’ll still be “LifeOfTheParty29” (aka “your username”) on YouTube.

A Google Account is not necessarily a Gmail account. You can create a Google Account with any email address through many different Google products, just like you can create a Twitter or Facebook account with any email address. Of course, you can choose to use Gmail as the email address for your Google Account.

Connecting your existing YouTube username to an existing Google Account doesn’t start sharing your YouTube activity to your Buzz followers; it’s only an account connection behind the scenes, and it’s still up to you to decide whether or not to bring YouTube into the rest of your Google life.

So what’s the point of asking people to connect a Google Account to their older YouTube account? Here are the main reasons:

Improved account security. The Google Account system is robust and will help reduce spam across the site; users will get a slew of security and safety features that Google has spent the past decade developing.

A single account system. This may not mean much to anyone outside of the YouTube engineering team, but behind the scenes it’s extremely complicated to support two different account systems. Having all users on the same account system not only simplifies matters, but more important, it makes it much easier to use Google technologies to keep the site running smoothly (over two billion views a day and counting), as well as introduce new functionality.

Wow. Let’s hope vlogbrothers Hank and John Green are somewhere tropical right now, resting up after the coup they just pulled off in Vidcon 2010. The sold-out online video conference took over L.A.’s Hyatt Regency Century Plaza from July 9 -11 in a flurry of cameras, Bieber-inspired hairstyles and coveted subscribe pillows. Feedback on Twitter was unanimously positive: Vidconrulez!

We were lucky enough to be among the 1,300+ fanboys and girls who gathered to fete all things video and hear from some of the biggest names in the online video industry. It was invaluable to meet with so many of you in “real life” and, yeah, some of us may even admit to a quickened heartbeat when in the vicinity of our favorite creators.

Here are our highlights from the event, in no particular order:

The energy and passion of everyone there. Wow! Just WOW. We should bottle that, keep it around the office, ration it and release it occasionally when we need a boost. RedBull and 5-hour-energy would not be needed in the micro-kitchens anymore... - Andy Stack, Product Manager

The two-way interactions between YouTube staff and community -- the chance to go beyond the username and talk with people about what they need from YouTube's product to help them accomplish their goals - Hunter Walk, Director, Product Management

iJustine giving out T-shirts to faithful fans in the lobby, using a bar stool as her table, showed her dedication to the YouTube community - Anna Richardson, PR Manager

The Uncultured Project and the standing ovation it received after showing this video. It's one more reminder of how YouTube and its community are changing the world in both big and small ways. - Jim Woods, Director, Content Partnerships

HiimRawn's performance on Saturday morning, featuring Rawn in a bikini, playing the accordion, dancers in gold lame body suits, John Green in a turkey costume and a small marching band. - Mark Day, Comedy Manager

I fell in love with the incredible passion from the audience and their desire to change the world -- invigorating and reminds me why we do what we do. Hank and John are especially awesome and genuine; they're leading a movement. - Brian Glick, Product Manager

Being in the elevator with a sobbing girl after the iJustine meetup. - Lauren Siegal, Ad Programs Associate

Sitting on a panel with DeStorm, who moved from the established music industry to make his musical career on YouTube without major label backing. It was great that he, like so many YouTube musicians I met, see a successful YouTube presence not as stepping stone to a label deal, but as the career in and of itself. - Chris LaRosa, Product Manger

Although it was a bit uncomfortable to hear a 13-year-old girl ask Shane Dawson to be the father of her children, it was truly inspiring to witness the enthusiasm, dedication, and excitement of fans and YouTube stars. Props to the Green brothers for their hard work and giving away conference proceeds to charity! - Falon Fatemi, Strategist, Business Development

Seeing parents trying to understand YouTube and supporting their kids who were so passionate about it...and getting a glimpse of Rocktard. - Mia Quagliarello, Product Marketing Manager

Ze Frank’s presentation - too many to name!

And what about you? What were your highlights? Share your thoughts and videos in the comments below! (Please note: comments are moderated due to spam and will be updated about once a day.)

So once again, thank you, Hank, John, everyone at Vidcon and in fact the whole YouTube community. We were honored to be part of your event.

Today at the VidCon 2010 conference, we announced support for videos shot in 4K, meaning that now we support original video resolution from 360p all the way up to 4K. To give some perspective on the size of 4K, the ideal screen size for a 4K video is 25 feet; IMAX movies are projected through two 2k resolution projectors.

We always want videos on YouTube to be available in the highest quality possible, as creators intend. In December of last year, we announced support for 1080p, or full HD. At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times the size of 1080p. To view any video in a source resolution greater than 1080p, select "Original" in the video quality pulldown menu:

To illustrate the power of 4K, please check out the videos in this playlist; each one was created by a filmmaker with access to a 4K
camera. (Be warned: watching videos in 4K, even on YouTube, will require
ultra-fast high-speed broadband connections).

Because 4K represents the highest quality of video available, there are a few limitations that you should be aware of. First off, video cameras that shoot in 4K aren’t cheap, and projectors that show videos in 4K are typically the size of a small refrigerator. And, as we mentioned, watching these videos on YouTube will require super-fast broadband.

We're excited about this latest step in the evolution of online video. We've been impressed by the 1080p videos you've uploaded over the last seven months and can't wait to see (in 4K!) what you do next.

The YouTube ecosystem is vibrant and growing fast. We have over 10,000 partners, and 94 of Ad Age’s top 100 advertisers have run campaigns on YouTube and the Google Display Network. We’ve made great progress in the last five years. But we think we can do better. That’s why today we are announcing the YouTube Partner Grants program that will invest five million dollars across select new and emerging YouTube partners. Our goal is to catalyze the creation of new ideas and production models from some of our most innovative and original content partners for the benefit and advancement of the entire industry.

The idea behind YouTube Partner Grants is fairly simple. We’ve been amazed by the creativity and resourcefulness of many of our partners. Some, operating on shoe string budgets, have been able to produce incredible videos, generate substantial revenues and command an audience that rivals that of network television. This new creative class often manages 360 degrees of their business operations, from the writing filming and producing of their content to the marketing, post-production and distribution of their videos. Despite their success, many partners lack the resources and deep financial backing available to studio-backed production houses. The goal of YouTube Partner Grants is to act as a catalyst by infusing additional funds into the production budgets of a small group of YouTube partners who are at the forefront of innovation. Funds from YouTube Partner Grants will serve as an advance against the partner's future YouTube revenue share. This additional funding can allow partners to invest in better cameras, achieve higher production quality, expand their marketing efforts, expand their staff, or just hire more talent. Anything that will help them evolve their art, business, and ultimately the entire creator community. We look at this as an investment that will bring an even richer body of content for our users and advertisers and raise the creative bar for online video.

Here’s how it works:

YouTube is identifying eligible partners based on factors such as video views, subscribers, growth rate, audience engagement and production expertise

Selected partners are contacted by YouTube and invited to submit a Grant proposal

Proposals are evaluated by YouTube based on signals which include projected performance, distribution plan, marketing plan, cost requirements and appeal to advertisers

If approved, funds are transferred to the partner so they can get started on their project

Youtube Partner Grants represents another step forward in the evolution of both video and YouTube. Our hope is that through these investments we’ll help nurture talent and bring more great videos to YouTube for all of you to enjoy.

It was with great pleasure that we heard billionaire investor Warren Buffett enjoys hours and hours of YouTube watching his favorite videos.

The "Oracle of Omaha" also suggested that YouTube should be charging him "a lot of money" based on the enjoyment he gets from YouTube. We agree and are happy to announce a new subscription offering: YouTube Pro. Pro will be offered for a limited time at the low price of $100 million/year. We don't expect to sell many, but if Mr. Buffett wants to make sure he's paying his fair share, we take cash, credit and, for him, personal check.

Perhaps you’ve seen Katy Perry kissing girls, waking up in Vegas or parodied by the YouTube community. More recently, she’s been spotted cavorting with hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg (along with life-size Gummy Bears and multi-striped snakes) in her latest “California Gurls” clip.

Well, now she’s putting that day-glo fantasy life on hold to answer your questions:

You have until midnight PT on July 18 to submit a video or text question to Katy’s channel (www.youtube.com/katyperry). Everyone will be able to vote on the questions until July 18, and Katy will answer the most popular in an exclusive Q&A as conducted by YouTube’s own Lisa Nova. We’ll put the interview on the homepage shortly after it’s edited and uploaded to YouTube.

A click here, a search there, a browse on this page—sometimes it can take more than a few flicks of the wrist and finger taps to get your daily dose of video. Luckily, YouTube Leanback wants you to conserve your energy for actually watching more videos. Mmm...more videos...

Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos tailored to your interests play as soon as you visit the site and they play in full screen and high definition, continuously. There’s no need to click, search, or browse, unless you want to, of course. Watching YouTube becomes as easy as watching TV.

To see what we mean, go to www.youtube.com/leanback, and you’ll note that a selection of videos—your “feed”—plays immediately. This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you’ve connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account). You can also watch the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, or more. And if you don’t care for the video that’s playing, use the right arrow key on your keyboard to skip ahead to the next video, or try the up/down arrows to search, access player controls, and browse channels and videos. You won’t need your mouse for this experience.

Here’s more about how YouTube Leanback works (we’ll also show you how to hook up your Facebook account):

YouTube Leanback is currently in beta, but we’d love for you to try it out at www.youtube.com/leanback and let us know what it’s like to kick back and revel in the endless stream of YouTube entertainment!

It’s well known that the mobile Internet is huge and growing fast; what’s surprising is exactly how fast. According to a recent report, within five years more users will connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs. YouTube consumption on mobile devices has also grown considerably: playbacks were up 160% in 2009 over the previous year. And we’re excited to announce that YouTube Mobile now receives more than 100 million video playbacks a day. This is roughly the number of daily playbacks that YouTube.com was streaming when we joined forces with Google in 2006.

We launched YouTube on mobile devices in 2007 with about 1,000 videos available on the mobile site (m.youtube.com). While this suddenly opened up the possibility to access videos on the go, our site, mobile browsers and the hardware had limitations that prevented the mobile experience from keeping up with YouTube on the desktop. Today, more than ever, we know that you want to be able to find and access your favorite videos wherever you are. That’s why we’re rolling out an updated version of the mobile site. Here's what's new about it:

It's really fast.

The user interface incorporates larger, more touch-friendly elements, making it easier to access videos on the go.

It incorporates the features and functionality you’ve come to expect from the .com site, like search query suggestions, the options to create playlists, the ability to designate “favorite,” “like” or “unlike” videos directly from your device.

As we make improvements to Youtube.com, you’ll see them quickly follow on our mobile site, unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently.

As the world continues to go mobile, we think this is a great improvement for users who want a more consistent YouTube across many devices, no matter where they are. We're launching in English only today, but will be rolling it out in other languages in the coming months. You can access the latest YouTube mobile site from your iPhone or Android browser. To learn more, visit m.youtube.com to check out the latest improvements and take a minute to watch this demo video:

Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of “Life in a Day,” a historic cinematic experiment that will attempt to do just that: document one day, as seen through the eyes of people around the world. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a snapshot of your life on camera. You can film the ordinary -- a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary -- a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar-winning director of films such as The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void and One Day in September, will then edit the most compelling footage into a feature documentary film, to be executive produced by Ridley Scott, the director behind films like Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Blade Runner and Robin Hood. LG Electronics is supporting “Life in a Day” as a key part of its long-standing Life’s Good campaign and to support the creation of quality online content that can be shared and enjoyed by all.The film will premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and if your footage makes it into the final cut, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the premiere.Want to take part? Here’s what to do.1. Visit the “Life in a Day” channel and learn more about the project. Be sure to read through the steps you need to take to participate and the guidelines for creating your video(s). Also check out some of the sample videos for inspirational ideas.2. On July 24, capture your day on camera.3. Upload your footage to the “Life in a Day” channel any time before July 31.Regardless of whether your footage makes it into the final film, your video(s) will live on on the “Life in a Day” channel as a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.Be a part of history.Tim Partridge, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “Life in a Day trailer.”

The most difficult moment in Shakira’s musical career? Her thoughts on her song being picked as the official World Cup song instead of an African artist? The one question she’s always wanted to answer? You asked, and today, Shakira answers.

Last week, we gave you 48 hours to submit questions for the Colombian songstress and promised that the top-voted questions would be posed in a special YouTube interview with her. Proving that Shakira truly is a global sensation, fans from over 40 countries -- from Egypt to Venezuela, the Netherlands to South Africa -- submitted 2,500 questions, put forth several impressive Waka Waka dance renditions, and cast 40,000 votes on which questions should be asked.

In the final interview, which is featured on today’s homepage, Shakira fills you in on whom she’s rooting for in the World Cup (she’s absolutely hooked on football, she says), which of her own songs are her favorite (her new album holds a few of them), and the experiences she had as a child that led her to become a steadfast champion for universal education. Watch the full interview here:

Can’t get enough Shakira? Visit her official YouTube channel here for more music and dance exclusives, or go to www.1goal.org to join Shakira in her quest to provide education for all children.

Before we head into the holiday weekend, wanted to update you on a couple of things that went down in sunny San Bruno recently:

Processing progress status: Those of you who upload know that there's a short period of time between uploading a video and it being visible on the site. The new processing percentage under the video preview lets you know when your video is ready for the world to see.

AutoShare to Buzz: Over four million people are already AutoSharing to Facebook, Twitter, Orkut or Google Reader, and now you can automatically share your YouTube likes, favorites, comments, subscriptions and uploads to your Buzz network, too. You can still keep YouTube as a connected site in Buzz if you hooked it up previously, but that only automatically posts your uploads for now. For more about AutoShare, click here.

New captions feature: The interactive captions viewer allows people to read ahead in the caption stream and jump to a specific segment within a video with captions. Captions are a key part of making YouTube accessible to all.

Imagine you’ve spent hours editing and shooting your latest YouTube video, when only a few days after its debut on the site, the video comes down and you’ve received -- what? -- a strike for a violation of our Community Guidelines? Is this baseball?!

With over 24 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute, it’s impossible for us to pre-screen content. That’s why we count on our community members to know the Community Guidelines and flag content that violates the rules. We review all flagged content and if we find a video does violate the guidelines, the video comes down and in most instances, the uploader receives a strike in their account.

As you can imagine, with the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. Last week we launched a more accessible appeals process, designed to make it easier for you to contest a takedown and a strike against your account for a Community Guidelines violation. So, if you think your video was removed mistakenly, you can appeal the strike within your own account. Here’s how:

When you sign into your account, you’ll need to acknowledge your Community Guidelines strike. After that, you can sign into My Account Settings and appeal your video strike directly from the "Manage Account" section under "Account Status". After we review your appeal, if we find that your video did not violate our Community Guidelines after all, we will reinstate it and remove the strike from your account. We’ll also send you an email letting you know the result of your appeal request.

Ultimately, YouTube is a platform for free expression, so we want to ensure that as much content is allowed to remain on the site as possible. Just like in baseball, we need a few rules to keep the game moving along, although now with YouTube, you have the option to talk to the umpire.

To learn more about the strike appeals process, check out this page in our Help Center. Note that this new process only applies to strikes for violations of our Community Guidelines. More information about copyright strikes may be found here.

The submission phase of our America's Got Talent contest has closed, and now comes the important part: Vote for your favorite YouTube performer here and one grand prize winner will perform live on the August 10 episode of the NBC show.

From the looks of it, some of YouTube’s most talented and quirky entertainers -- from upside-down piano players to accordion-playing dogs -- have entered the fray. There are 40 acts in all to choose from, and voting ends on July 4, so you only have a few days to help decide the destiny of one of these aspiring stars. Good luck to all contestants!